A critical incident has been declared The Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust (RCHT) after a desperate appeal for help to clear the backlog.

The BBC reports that up to 100 people were waiting to be seen in the emergency department on Wednesday, with 25 ambulances waiting outside.

Late this afternoon Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust Staff group put out an urgent appeal for staff to work extra hours tonight because of the pressure saying:  “Can you work and extra hours tonight?

“We’re under intense pressure with 100 people in the emergency department at RCH and more than 25 ambulances urgently needing to handover patients so they can get calls that are waiting.

“We are trying to open as much additional space as we can. The position is unlikely to improve overnight and we will probably declare a critical incident.”

The trust told the BBC the emergency department is designed to accommodate up to 40 people at any one time.

RCHT medical director, Dr Allister Grant said: "There is unprecedented demand on health and care services in Cornwall, more so this week than at any point during the pandemic.  "As a result, we have escalated our operational level from OPEL4 to an internal critical incident.

"Pressure will always be most visible at the Emergency Department where ambulances are waiting, and our priority here is to move people into wards as soon as we can."

As part of the response, NHS staff are working in care homes where beds are available for patients, but there is a shortage of workers.

Dr Grant added: "Families, friends and neighbours are urged to help us, too, by offering to support someone waiting for home care to leave hospital sooner, and we would ask them to contact the ward directly if they can help in any way.

"Getting someone home a day or two sooner will mean we can free up a vital hospital bed for someone else in urgent need."